Doesn't look too good, does it? Test cricket batting does not mean slow batting, it means patient batting. Patient batting means playing each ball according to its own merit, and going with a higher percentage shot selection. Simply put, that means leaving the ones that need to be left alone, blocking the ones that need to be defended, putting half-volleys and full tosses the treatment they deserve, and most importantly, opting for shots that can prolong your survival in the middle. If nudging a single instead of trying to lift one over the circle for a boundary means the higher percentage of survival, you should take the single. Rotating the srike like that should yield a run rate ranging anywhere from 3.0 to 4.0, and individual strike rate ranging between 40.0 to 65.0 percent. By the end of the day, the game is still about runs on the board that take pressure off batsmen at the crease and lower down the order. Steady singles can do all that better than other ways of batting in most cases.

That said, with the possible exception of Habibul Bashar and Mohammed Ashraful in day 1, and Mushfiqur Rahim and Shahdat Hossain from today, no Bangladeshi batman came even close to that standard. By the way, I say "possible" only because we're not fortunate enough to actually see the match or read ball-by-ball descriptions of the practice match being played at the CCC in Colombo - and not because of a nattering fetish for negativism.

Shahadat Hossain's superb batting didn't surprise me much after that phenomenal partnership with Mashrafe Bin Murtaza - and the unwanted assistance of seasonal showers - that saved a test match in Chittagong recently against India. Mushfiqur Rahim coming through for the team was somewhat expected also. Not too many in the team match either his solid technique or remarkable temperament. It takes a bit of time for him to see the quicker ones, but once he gets set, oppositions better watch their backs. If the opening batsmen can do their job and see the new ball through for at least the first 30 or so overs, and put enough runs on the board by rotating the strike, this young man from Bogura is possibly the best we can have at number 3. Impossible to tell exactly how our Captain got caught behind, or how the others got out from the limited information available to us. The numbers however, suggest yet another rerun of the sitcom most of our players, not just the tragically misguided and technically limited ones we know too well, don't seem to get enough of: too many balls, not enough runs, too much pressure and the long walk back to the pavilion after doing the hard work. Too many runs too soon, before a similarly long walk back was variation preferred by Shahriar Nafees for his 18 ball stint in the middle.

Habibul Bashar not going on to score a 100 was disappointing. This guy could've easily been a "Mr. 100" instead of the "Mr. 50" of test cricket, if only he learned to keep some of his compulsions and technical flaws on a shorter leash. My disdain of him comes from that disappointment to a large extent. His so called Captaincy and ODI batting just added more fuel to the fire. A 100 from Bashar - albeit against this "practice match" Sri Lankan bowling attack known more for having possibly the longest names in the history of International cricket than anything else - would have done wonders for his confidence level while boosting team morale as a whole.

Sadly, the facts on the field call for serious skepticism as to how Bashar, and the other batsmen who have failed to take advantage of this opportunity not only to acclimate themselves to the conditions, but also to enhance that all-important self-belief, would fare against the likes of Vaas, Malinga, Fernando and the magic and mastery of Muralitharan in the upcoming test matches that will really count. I pray alongside 150 million Bangladeshis that my skepticism is proven horribly wrong by fabulous individual performances our Tigers have a chance to learn from and move forward.

SS

June 21, 2007, 07:34 AM

good write Sohel NR.
I am also upset to see that Bd batsmen failed to utilize this opportunity before facing Vaas, Malinga, Fernando and Murali. I am so surprised that top and middle order batsmen still scoring in 30s and then getting out. Musfiq and Shahadat showed promises at the end. But our tailenders will not save us all the time in test matches.
Batsmen are continuously failing to do their duties in batting department. I believe we also lack batting techniques especially for longer version of the game along with temperment to play test cricket. When will they start finding gaps to take those singles? Is this tendancy result of lots of net practice(ODI style) and lack of realpractice matches?

Sohel

June 21, 2007, 07:44 AM

I believe we also lack batting techniques especially for longer version of the game along with temperment to play test cricket. When will they start finding gaps to take those singles? Is this tendancy result of lots of net practice(ODI style) and lack of realpractice matches?

Their ODI batting, though better than in the longer version of the game, also leaves a lot to be desired at this level of International cricket. A reformatted, longer NCL will help. Best of 5 FC matches and best of 7 List-A matches, or 25 FC matches and 35 will give our batsmen better opportunities to learn to stay in the middle, and not force them to learn on the job at the expense of team performance.

al Furqaan

June 21, 2007, 08:29 AM

sohel i disagree to an extent: test RR's have only started approaching 4 rpo in the very recent past. i remember a couple of years ago, RR's were still very often under 3 e.g. 2.87...

even murali has stated that he doesn't worry much; wickets will come to him because batsmen are so attacking nowadays.

the run rate is poor, and boring no doubt, but i think our batsmen need to practice occupying the crease. only will they learn which balls to leave and which to play. think about it this way. when we scored 250 in 50 overs against india, most of our batsmen got out before they even faced a decent ball! they have no idea what a good ball from a good bowler is like, which is why they would prolly only last 10 balls against a Glenn Mcgrath.

SS

June 21, 2007, 08:37 AM

sohel i disagree to an extent: test RR's have only started approaching 4 rpo in the very recent past. i remember a couple of years ago, RR's were still very often under 3 e.g. 2.87...

the run rate is poor, and boring no doubt, but i think our batsmen need to practice occupying the crease. only will they learn which balls to leave and which to play. think about it this way. when we scored 250 in 50 overs against india, most of our batsmen got out before they even faced a decent ball! they have no idea what a good ball from a good bowler is like, which is why they would prolly only last 10 balls against a Glenn Mcgrath.
Good point mentioned by al Furqaan, we saw a difference this time they face more than 50 overs to score that runs!! Interesting, so are they getting familiar with good and bad balls. That's a good sign then!

Sohel

June 21, 2007, 08:46 AM

... but i think our batsmen need to practice occupying the crease. only will they learn which balls to leave and which to play ...

Excellent point al Furquaan. I'd feel a lot better if they stop relying on boundaries and start looking for those singles as well.

Rizvi

June 21, 2007, 09:02 AM

Yea..i think this is great to see for a change!! I doubt the main intentions of our batsmen are to score runs; after all, this is a practice game. I believe they are more concerned about acquiring the temperament of a test match after such a long drought. I am amazed to see the number of balls faced by our batsmen....Bashar 168, Ash 89, Omar 88, Rajin 80, Mashud 81*, Rahim 63 Not out. These are numbers we haven't been used to seeing..!!

*On a different note, this stat is really interesting! 8 runs in 81 balls??? Even with the keenest eye, one would atleast score 20 runs in 81 balls. I'm quite certain he wanted to get as comfortable as possible in Sri Lankan grounds, but i really doubt his ability to pick up the pace even if he desired.

mali007

June 21, 2007, 09:02 AM

I am pleased with Mushfique's batting. He will be a solid test batsman in the coming yrs.
In his very 1st tour with BD test team he scored a sensational 100 against a county team
and made a roar in English newspapers. So, GO MUSHFIQUE GO !!!!

Miraz

June 21, 2007, 09:04 AM

The match is heading towards a draw with some much needed batting practice. IMO, we faired much better compared to our previous outing in which we got bundled out for 195 in 45.3 overs, against a much weaker opposition.

Check out the scorecard against Sri Lanka development XI in 2005-06 3 day tour match. (http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/BDESH_IN_SL/SCORECARDS/BDESH_SLCD-XI_07-09SEP2005.html)

Things could have been better but I clearly see the change of attitude. Players are putting more value to their wickets.

Russell2k7

June 21, 2007, 09:08 AM

Can someone tell me what the hell was Mashud doing scoring 8 from 81?

Sohel

June 21, 2007, 09:30 AM

Can someone tell me what the hell was Mashud doing scoring 8 from 81?

চাকরি রক্ষার (misguided) অপচেষ্টা ?

Tigers_eye

June 21, 2007, 09:32 AM

As Sadi mentioned in another thread we are walking in oppose to crawling in test cricket like before. We have a long way to go. We will start jogging in few years then running and finally sprinting (beat the sh*t out of everybody) in 10+ years.

This slowness I love it. This makes the opponent bowlers frustrated. Knowing the batsmen will not score nor he will give away the wicket. The only thing matters in test cricket for a fielding side is wickets. Anything else worth next to nothing. There is no points for five stylish shot and out. Not getting the batsmen out makes them stand under the sun for hours. If Ponting was facing this I am sure he would cut his fingers with his teeth.

8 for 81: He stayed from 148 to 198. That is 50 runs in two partnership.

SN: The future, could manage a partnership of 25.
Rajin Saleh: The rock, 48.
Sakib: 0.

Now these pure technically superior batsmen should have had a better partnership than KM, correct? They need to learn from a #7??

I am just trying to put some sense in to people. This is the first innings of the tour. No reason to get all hyped up or get pissed off from one or two knocks. Give everyone a chance. have patience. Trying to find fault on others is easy cause we are human.

I just wanted to emphasize one of the points that Sohel was making -- the tendency for our batsmen to go for the big shots instead of taking singles. Now, I've got nothing against taking boundaries if the bowl deserves it. But the preponderance of boundaries in the individual scores of some of our batsmen in this innings (see above) suggests poor shot selection.

Now, keep in mind that we are all discussing this from stats. None of us has seen the match so far or obtained a descriptive shot-by-shot commentary. We don't really know what sort of bowling they were facing, and what the bowl and attempted shots were like that resulted in wickets. But, even with that caveat, we can raise some questions.

We know, from past experience, that JO rarely takes singles. But as we (try to) use him to see off the new ball, and haven't really clicked with any other opening pair, we have no choice but to encourage him to actually try running now and then.

What was Shahriar Nafees trying to do? We know he's been out of form; was he trying to prove to us he was back in form by pulling a Tamim?

As for Mohammad Ashraful, we know he has one of the best eyes in the business and an excellent repertoire of shots. It doesn't mean he has to go for big shots all the time.

akabir77

June 21, 2007, 09:37 AM

well written by shohelNR as expected...

I think runrate in TEST is just right and i wouldn't mind if they score 250 batting all day. cause we r not there yet to attack the bowling...

Bad thing is we have no batsman who has got big runs in their belt in any sort of cricket other than Bashar and Ash. But we can't depend on ash for big scores in every match that leaves us with one batsman only. The potential others that might score big r golla and a in form SN. so we have to score 300+ somebody has to make a big 100 and at least two 50 and three above 30. do we have players to make those scores?

mali007

June 21, 2007, 09:44 AM

The match is heading towards a draw with some much needed batting practice. IMO, we faired much better compared to our previous outing in which we got bundled out for 195 in 45.3 overs, against a much weaker opposition.

Check out the scorecard against Sri Lanka development XI in 2005-06 3 day tour match. (http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/BDESH_IN_SL/SCORECARDS/BDESH_SLCD-XI_07-09SEP2005.html)

Things could have been better but I clearly see the change of attitude. Players are putting more value to their wickets.
Aftab scored 67 in 123 balls ----- good temperament !!! Why he is out of test side now ?
Selectors should review past SL tours.

Trigger_Tiger

June 21, 2007, 10:00 AM

Good write-up Sohel :up:. it disappoints me to see how the senior players do not have the temperment at all! It further dissapoints me to see the inclusion of an already out of form player time and again at the expense of use losing a game badly. Just imagine an in form Nafees or someone who can score runs as freely as he did in 2006 at the top of the order!

The fact that this is test cricket has not yet gone through to the senior players I would say as the juniors in reality have so far faired better than the oldies when it has come to patience.

Truly disappointed in Mashud because he was too slow! Bashar was okay until.....Ash has it back in him but needs to remember that thisis test cricket and he has all the time in the world to score.

All in all, the experianced are the dwindling impatient all-show-no-goers here. While we can be patient, how long can we be patient for?

Trigger_Tiger

June 21, 2007, 10:01 AM

Aftab scored 67 in 123 balls ----- good temperament !!! Why he is out of test side now ?
Selectors should review past SL tours.

Same thing I wonder!

Anher

June 21, 2007, 10:03 AM

The match is heading towards a draw with some much needed batting practice. IMO, we faired much better compared to our previous outing in which we got bundled out for 195 in 45.3 overs, against a much weaker opposition.

Check out the scorecard against Sri Lanka development XI in 2005-06 3 day tour match. (http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/BDESH_IN_SL/SCORECARDS/BDESH_SLCD-XI_07-09SEP2005.html)

Things could have been better but I clearly see the change of attitude. Players are putting more value to their wickets.

When we will do bowling practice!! Dont need that????? 3 Day game is very short you know!!!

Fazal

June 21, 2007, 10:04 AM

As Sadi mentioned in another thread we are walking in oppose to crawling in test cricket like before. We have a long way to go. We will start jogging in few years then running and finally sprinting (beat the sh*t out of everybody) in 10+ years.

This slowness I love it. This makes the opponent bowlers frustrated. Knowing the batsmen will not score nor he will give away the wicket. The only thing matters in test cricket for a fielding side is wickets. Anything else worth next to nothing. There is no points for five stylish shot and out. Not getting the batsmen out makes them stand under the sun for hours. If Ponting was facing this I am sure he would cut his fingers with his teeth.

......
....
I am just trying to put some sense in to people. This is the first innings of the tour. No reason to get all hyped up or get pissed off from one or two knocks. Give everyone a chance. have patience. Trying to find fault on others is easy cause we are human.

Well said TE. I agree with you and Sadi. This is not the most exciting day to watch a game; but we need to walk first before running (as Sadi said) ... and this is called walking ... regardless how boring it is. Upto now the team was lacking the 'staying power' while batting in TEST matches against good teams. This tells me that they are trying hard to address that, even at the risk of overdoing it... that is fine with me. A good 1st innings (even its slow) will always put us in a much better position to change the gear in later part of the game if needed.

As TE mentioned, the more we can keep the oponent in the hot humid field, the better the chance we will have to demoralized the opponent and keep fresh to our bowlers... and that will itself bring desperate attempts by opponents and therefore more opportunity for an upset at the later stage of a TEST match.

Its not perfect, but I like it better than a 250 in 50 overs. It tells me SW may have some influence in that approach.

cricket_dorshok

June 21, 2007, 10:13 AM

As Sadi mentioned in another thread we are walking in oppose to crawling in test cricket like before. We have a long way to go. We will start jogging in few years then running and finally sprinting (beat the sh*t out of everybody) in 10+ years.

This slowness I love it. This makes the opponent bowlers frustrated. Knowing the batsmen will not score nor he will give away the wicket. The only thing matters in test cricket for a fielding side is wickets. Anything else worth next to nothing. There is no points for five stylish shot and out. Not getting the batsmen out makes them stand under the sun for hours. If Ponting was facing this I am sure he would cut his fingers with his teeth.

8 for 81: He stayed from 148 to 198. That is 50 runs in two partnership.

SN: The future, could manage a partnership of 25.
Rajin Saleh: The rock, 48.
Sakib: 0.

Now these pure technically superior batsmen should have had a better partnership than KM, correct? They need to learn from a #7??

I am just trying to put some sense in to people. This is the first innings of the tour. No reason to get all hyped up or get pissed off from one or two knocks. Give everyone a chance. have patience. Trying to find fault on others is easy cause we are human.
well said Tiger bhai!

I just wanted to emphasize one of the points that Sohel was making -- the tendency for our batsmen to go for the big shots instead of taking singles. Now, I've got nothing against taking boundaries if the bowl deserves it. But the preponderance of boundaries in the individual scores of some of our batsmen in this innings (see above) suggests poor shot selection.

Now, keep in mind that we are all discussing this from stats. None of us has seen the match so far or obtained a descriptive shot-by-shot commentary. We don't really know what sort of bowling they were facing, and what the bowl and attempted shots were like that resulted in wickets. But, even with that caveat, we can raise some questions.

We know, from past experience, that JO rarely takes singles. But as we (try to) use him to see off the new ball, and haven't really clicked with any other opening pair, we have no choice but to encourage him to actually try running now and then.

What was Shahriar Nafees trying to do? We know he's been out of form; was he trying to prove to us he was back in form by pulling a Tamim?

As for Mohammad Ashraful, we know he has one of the best eyes in the business and an excellent repertoire of shots. It doesn't mean he has to go for big shots all the time.
Many people doesn't understand the difference between longer version match and limited over match. In a 3/4/5 day game, it is perfectly okay to score 80% of your runs with boundaries. Due to aggressive fielding placement, it's harder to get singles and for the same reason usually the batsman more often gets full reward for a good shot (unlike OD matches)

Singles are still important, but not as important as it is in a one day match.

Tigers_eye

June 21, 2007, 10:29 AM

Many people doesn't understand the difference between longer version match and limited over match. In a 3/4/5 day game, it is perfectly okay to score 80% of your runs with boundaries. Due to aggressive fielding placement, it's harder to get singles and for the same reason usually the batsman more often gets full reward for a good shot (unlike OD matches)

Singles are still important, but not as important as it is in a one day match.
Exactly!! Not only that it is up to bowlers to get a batsman out. There is no pressure on facing 83 balls and scoring just 7 runs (ash). Nor does it put pressure on his partners. But it immensely puts pressure on the opponent for not getting the batsman out. And often times we would see a frustrated bunch would not give 100% in the field. The loss of focus on the fielding side glares like a shinning star in the later part of the day. Best example: BD, WI current teams playing test against the big boys. The game is half mental.

Spitfire_x86

June 21, 2007, 10:36 AM

As Sadi mentioned in another thread we are walking in oppose to crawling in test cricket like before. We have a long way to go. We will start jogging in few years then running and finally sprinting (beat the sh*t out of everybody) in 10+ years.
You beat the sh*t out of opposition only if you have better players. If we had few players like Flower brothers, Houghton, Campbell our team could be much more competitive.

This slowness I love it. This makes the opponent bowlers frustrated. Knowing the batsmen will not score nor he will give away the wicket. The only thing matters in test cricket for a fielding side is wickets. Anything else worth next to nothing. There is no points for five stylish shot and out. Not getting the batsmen out makes them stand under the sun for hours. If Ponting was facing this I am sure he would cut his fingers with his teeth.

8 for 81: He stayed from 148 to 198. That is 50 runs in two partnership.

SN: The future, could manage a partnership of 25.
Rajin Saleh: The rock, 48.
Sakib: 0.

Now these pure technically superior batsmen should have had a better partnership than KM, correct? They need to learn from a #7??
Slowness is 100% BS. It is what made England lose from an almost impossible to lose situation in the 2nd test of last Ashes. Pilot was lucky to be in a 50 run partnership. The main credit goes to Mushfiq for scoring those runs. What if the wickets continued to fall at the other end or Mushfiq scored 8 from 80 balls? This kind of slowness allows the bowling team to get on top of the batsman, and eventually the batsman is not going to survive. A settled bowler is more likely to bowl a unplayable delivery, and what about the multiple times increased chance of getting caught at silly point/short leg?

I am just trying to put some sense in to people. This is the first innings of the tour. No reason to get all hyped up or get pissed off from one or two knocks. Give everyone a chance. have patience. Trying to find fault on others is easy cause we are human.
Point taken. But doesn't this innings make few things very obvious? We all know that he is not in form, and this innings indicates 2 things. a) his days are truly over b) his attitude is not right, its neither helping him nor the team.

Of course, it's possible to happen anything in cricket. Pilot may even get score a century in this test series and make me eat my words. But it's not much likely to happen, is it?

shaad

June 21, 2007, 10:43 AM

Many people doesn't understand the difference between longer version match and limited over match. In a 3/4/5 day game, it is perfectly okay to score 80% of your runs with boundaries. Due to aggressive fielding placement, it's harder to get singles and for the same reason usually the batsman more often gets full reward for a good shot (unlike OD matches)

Singles are still important, but not as important as it is in a one day match.

After you get settled, fine. But when, in a 3-day match, your strike rate is 88.88, percentage of runs from boundaries is 83.3%, and the total number of runs you score is 16, I don't think what you are practicing is smart shot selection.

And, very frankly, I don't think most of our batsmen are competent enough to maintain an 80% runs-by-boundaries rate, without attempting some poor shots and getting out as a consequence.

Play each ball according to its merit, try to find the gap, and then if it rolls over the rope, fine. But if the space is there, take the single or two. What I see are often manufactured shots attempting for the fence, which end up shooting the batsman in the foot instead.

Tigers_eye

June 21, 2007, 10:43 AM

Spitty,
You are something. You mind Pilots 8 of 81 yet don't mind Ashs 7 of 82. Ash total scored 37 with 6 fours and a six in 89 balls. There had to be a game plan for this match it seems to me.

Miraz

June 21, 2007, 10:51 AM

Spitty,
You are something. You mind Pilots 8 of 81 yet don't mind Ashs 7 of 83. Ash total scored 37 with 5 fours in 88 balls. There had to be a game plan for this match it seems to me.

T_E bhai, you cannot take the boundaries out of the Ash's innings to say he scored 7 of 83 deliveries. Boundary in longer version matches is a very important way to score runs. Even Dravid scores 60% of his runs in boundaries, for Lara it's even more.

With the course of the innings you will play dot balls but will score boundaries along with singles to keep the scoreboard moving. Ash dis that but Pilot failed miserably.

akabir77

June 21, 2007, 10:53 AM

Aftab scored 67 in 123 balls ----- good temperament !!! Why he is out of test side now ?
Selectors should review past SL tours.
yes he was making those scores and hence he was in the team but have you seen him batting lately? he scores 20 and out... but i do think that he will come back strongly.

Spitfire_x86

June 21, 2007, 10:57 AM

After you get settled, fine. But when, in a 3-day match, your strike rate is 88.88, percentage of runs from boundaries is 83.3%, and the total number of runs you score is 16, I don't think what you are practicing is smart shot selection.

And, very frankly, I don't think most of our batsmen are competent enough to maintain an 80% runs-by-boundaries rate, without attempting some poor shots and getting out as a consequence.
None of us watched the match. SN didn't play many balls. Strike rate can vary dramatically if a batsman plays few balls. If a batsman hits a four in the first ball, he has 400% strike rate. Obviously the SR is not going to stay like that after few deliveries regardless of batting/bowling quality. SN hit 4 boundaries in his 18 ball innings. It's not hard to imagine that the opposition bowlers weren't very accurate and gave few loose deliveries.

he made 115 in 238 deliveries. That means he scored 35 in 221 deliveries, but we cannot say like that. We have to look at the innings completely.

Ashraful scored 37 of 89 balls and Pilot scored 8 of 81 balls, it should be read like this.

Tigers_eye

June 21, 2007, 11:00 AM

scrutinizing for one innings that has very little value is too much for me to bear. That is also so early on the tour. Yes, i know I can't take the boundaries out but that was to show, everyone was instructed to stay to the crease by any means. Even the captain blocked many more balls. And there is no bull sh*t in showness when one can only walk. That is the only way we can get to the fifth day if we are lucky.

pagol-chagol

June 21, 2007, 11:08 AM

Aftab scored 67 in 123 balls ----- good temperament !!! Why he is out of test side now ?
Selectors should review past SL tours.

Good point. About Pilot's abysmal 8 in 81 balls with single digit strike rate - it creates pressure on his partners to take unnecessary risks - even in tests. Fielders play more aggressively and wickets tumble. Looks like Rahim will play in T1.

pagol-chagol

June 21, 2007, 11:13 AM

scrutinizing for one innings that has very little value is too much for me to bear. That is also so early on the tour. Yes, i know I can't take the boundaries out but that was to show, everyone was instructed to stay to the crease by any means. Even the captain blocked many more balls. And there is no bull sh*t in showness when one can only walk. That is the only way we can get to the fifth day if we are lucky.

We should be slow, but not to a single digit strike rate with a non-test team. It shows that Pilot has nothing left. He couldn't pick up 1 ball out of the 81 to hit well. You won't get to 5th day with that kind of batting. You encourage aggressive fielding with that type of batting attitude.

al Furqaan

June 21, 2007, 11:26 AM

i think we should show pilot the door...he's become more useless than JO and couple his attitude and arrogance problems means that i have no sympathy for him that JO would recieve.

thanks for all your work pilot helping get us test status, but its the mushy show now...

capslock

June 21, 2007, 11:32 AM

I am actually pretty satisfied with this batting effort, it's clear the batsmen are making a point to spend time at the wicket. I have always said that our problem was that we batted in our ODIs like we should in tests and in tests as we should in ODIs; glad to see it's changing.

pagol-chagol

June 21, 2007, 11:38 AM

I am actually pretty satisfied with this batting effort, it's clear the batsmen are making a point to spend time at the wicket. I have always said that our problem was that we batted in our ODIs like we should in tests and in tests as we should in ODIs; glad to see it's changing.

Its one thing to stay in the wickets, and completely another thing to score at a single digit strike rate without reason. You see batsmen stay in the wickets all the time. How often have you seen single digit strike rate with 80+ balls? If you can't pick out 1 out of 81 balls for a boundary, you need to realize that you are old.

Beamer

June 21, 2007, 12:11 PM

Sohel NR

Your first para sums it up all.

Some are saying about the need to "walk first run later" approach to BD cricket. I am wondering what have we learnt then in the last seven years since our coronation to the elite status? Have we been sleep walking ? Must be. If that is the case, we really should not awake some of the older folks from their slumber ( you know..8 off 81 types )and would rather like to see us learn to walk with infants. That would be the way to go. We will lose and win with them. An old dog can never learn a new trick...

When you are on the Freeway, the one that travels in and around the speed limit, will have a better chance of reaching the destination safely. You can't avg 30mph higher than the limit, which means you are speeding and you might get a tkt ( penalty ) or worse yet, increase your chance of a fatality that might kill you or people riding wiht you. Simmilarly, if you are going way slower than the normal limit, say 30mph lower than the limit, not only you arrive at your destitaiton late, but also, are at risk from getting smashed from behind that can lead to simmilar fatality. So, it is better to go with the flow if you want to increase your chances of survival in a high stress situation. Someone learning to drive at around age 16 on average will learn much faster on how to navigate and should be at ease after a while. In case of a senior citizen, though he may still be able, on average he will take the slow/negative driving approach because of diminished ability and fear of life. So, boyz and galz , don't go too fast, too slow and drive at what the limit says if you want to stay in the game. Batting in test matches will not earn you laurels if you are going at the speed of light all the time, though in some situations it may be needed ( risk takers will win in the race tracks ), but, if you bat like the tortoise or the old man on the Freeway, the hare or the young man who learnt at age 16 will probably win more.

About Rahim : His exceptionaly high backlift made him look silly against the likes of Bond. He should keep it that way though only to shorten it a bit when express guys are bowling at him. As correct as he his technically, against genuine quickies, he will not need such a highlift to score.

Sohel

June 21, 2007, 01:41 PM

Some are saying about the need to "walk first run later" approach to BD cricket. I am wondering what have we learnt then in the last seven years since our coronation to the elite status? Have we been sleep walking ? Must be. If that is the case, we really should not awake some of the older folks from their slumber ( you know..8 off 81 types )and would rather like to see us learn to walk with infants. That would be the way to go. We will lose and win with them. An old dog can never learn a new trick...

When you are on the Freeway, the one that travels in and around the speed limit, will have a better chance of reaching the destination safely. You can't avg 30mph higher than the limit, which means you are speeding and you might get a tkt ( penalty ) or worse yet, increase your chance of a fatality that might kill you or people riding wiht you. Simmilarly, if you are going way slower than the normal limit, say 30mph lower than the limit, not only you arrive at your destitaiton late, but also, are at risk from getting smashed from behind that can lead to simmilar fatality. So, it is better to go with the flow if you want to increase your chances of survival in a high stress situation. Someone learning to drive at around age 16 on average will learn much faster on how to navigate and should be at ease after a while. In case of a senior citizen, though he may still be able, on average he will take the slow/negative driving approach because of diminished ability and fear of life. So, boyz and galz , don't go too fast, too slow and drive at what the limit says if you want to stay in the game. Batting in test matches will not earn you laurels if you are going at the speed of light all the time, though in some situations it may be needed ( risk takers will win in the race tracks ), but, if you bat like the tortoise or the old man on the Freeway, the hare or the young man who learnt at age 16 will probably win more.

About Rahim : His exceptionaly high backlift made him look silly against the likes of Bond. He should keep it that way though only to shorten it a bit when express guys are bowling at him. As correct as he his technically, against genuine quickies, he will not need such a highlift to score.

Beamer - Thanks again for yet another insightful post. Your freeway analogy is the best I've read of late in BC and elsewhere. I've taken the liberty to italicize and underline the especially pleasurable bits worth pondering deeper than perhaps they would be "normally".

I have similar issues with the Rahim backlift. Perhaps he feels shorter than he is. The pressure on this very young man to perform, without the benefit of facing quality quickies in the inadequately formatted NCL, also makes him unnecessarily exaggerate some of technique just that little bit. His cut shot is another case in point. I think he'll fare better against the quickies if he plays that shot as late as possible instead of playing it early or leaving the delivery altogether - and pulls-in a bit earlier than he does. Sadly, he maybe a little scared to play that shot as often as his abilities suggest, because of the additional pressure to stay on the wicket often initiated by some sort of batting collapse, or early opposition breakthrough if he's batting further up the order.

That said, I must include how impressed I have been by his patient ability judge flight under tough pitch conditions when he's forced to come forward by good spinners. It's tough to lure him into misjudgment with typical pace and loop variations alone. Softer use of the bottom hand in those situations, coupled with slightly enhanced use of the lower back "arc", can make him truly lethal against the spin during those circumstances. I'm optimistic that he, in due time, may become our own Shiv Chanderpaul. Malinga Bandara, and even Muralitharan may have the toughest time getting him out if he's selected for the test side as he should be.

SS

June 21, 2007, 01:52 PM

two good posts in succession...can we get two great knocks in succession too in upcoming test matches from our batsmen :)

Beamer

June 21, 2007, 02:48 PM

Sohel and SS - Thank you.

Sohel- You make some good observations about Rahim. I mentioned in another thread how he seems to always do well batting with the tail. However, his technique, temperament, shot selection intelligence is too good for us to waste him at no.7. No.3 might be too much to ask for his young shoulders right now ( also consider the fact if we are batting second , no.3 might be too soon for him to come after keeping wkts in the 1st innings, unless he comes in as a specialist bat . With our brittle openers at work, he might have to come very soon to the crease ). I suggest he comes in at no. 5, or at least at no.6, so he can have some time playing himself in with another "batsman". That will be the ideal situation for him right now. Thanks for your kind remarks. That driving thing: Had a moment of Epiphany while coming to work.

Sohel

June 21, 2007, 04:26 PM

Appreciate the comment SS, thanks bro.

WarWolf

June 22, 2007, 07:11 PM

Aftab scored 67 in 123 balls ----- good temperament !!! Why he is out of test side now ?
Selectors should review past SL tours.
He has severe weakness against quality spin and SL got the best spinner in the world right now.

One World

June 22, 2007, 08:45 PM

Nice analysis in this thread. Slowness is not BS btw.

Nafis_BD

June 22, 2007, 08:53 PM

Great analysis Sohel NR bhaiya!! Just as the others said here, batting slow is not what you call test cricket being patient is the real test cricket. When will the players understand that you don't have to hit boundaries to have a good rr or score that much in test cricket, you have to take singles and stay as long as you can and build your way up make big scores by taking 70 % of 3s, 2s and 1s and the rest of them you can get boundaries!!! Stay in the wicket and get singles and etc instead of hitting one over the top for 4 and having a risk of getting caught!!! They have to also leave the ones that have a risk of them getting out and play the ones that are safe and will allow you to get a boundary or 1s, 2s and 3s!!!!

ammark

June 22, 2007, 11:04 PM

Well I thought I'd post in the Match report as given in Daily star today. Its good to get Shaun Williams' feedback

Rain ruins tour opener
Bishwajit Roy from Colombo

Rain ruined Bangladesh's only warm-up match ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka as the tourists' three-dayer against Sri Lanka A fizzled out to a draw on the third and final day at the Colts Cricket ground here yesterday.

Overnight rain delayed the start of play by 55 minutes as Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful decided to declare their first innings on the previous day's 245 for eight. The second-string side, who got only 36.3 overs to bat before rain again stopped play in the mid-afternoon session, reached 170 for four at stumps.

With the skies opening up, heavy rain gripped Colombo and it is believed that weather will play a big part in the series, which will see three Tests and as many one-day internationals.

"Yes, we are a bit frustrated by the conditions but at least, we got the chance to see what's coming," said the Tigers' interim coach Shaun Williams after the match

"It was a decent start. Not that everyone carried on to have a big score, but almost everyone got a start. At least the boys tried to stay out in the middle," Williams said of Bangladesh's batting efforts.

"It was a good news that Habibul (Bashar) returned among the runs," the Australian said of the former Bangladesh captain, who top scored in the first innings with 63.

"Ashraful also looked confident and so did a few others. I am happy that we got closer to what I wanted in our first match. The fact that they have batted 104 overs proves that it has been improving," he added

I am actually pretty satisfied with this batting effort, it's clear the batsmen are making a point to spend time at the wicket. I have always said that our problem was that we batted in our ODIs like we should in tests and in tests as we should in ODIs; glad to see it's changing.

i remember those days...but since 2004, late 2004, we have started batting like ODIs in ODIs, and like ODIs in tests too.

we need to bat like tests in tests (which is nowadays to moderate aggression with caution).

al Furqaan

June 22, 2007, 11:19 PM

Beamer - Thanks again for yet another insightful post. Your freeway analogy is the best I've read of late in BC and elsewhere. I've taken the liberty to italicize and underline the especially pleasurable bits worth pondering deeper than perhaps they would be "normally".

I have similar issues with the Rahim backlift. Perhaps he feels shorter than he is. The pressure on this very young man to perform, without the benefit of facing quality quickies in the inadequately formatted NCL, also makes him unnecessarily exaggerate some of technique just that little bit. His cut shot is another case in point. I think he'll fare better against the quickies if he plays that shot as late as possible instead of playing it early or leaving the delivery altogether - and pulls-in a bit earlier than he does. Sadly, he maybe a little scared to play that shot as often as his abilities suggest, because of the additional pressure to stay on the wicket often initiated by some sort of batting collapse, or early opposition breakthrough if he's batting further up the order.

That said, I must include how impressed I have been by his patient ability judge flight under tough pitch conditions when he's forced to come forward by good spinners. It's tough to lure him into misjudgment with typical pace and loop variations alone. Softer use of the bottom hand in those situations, coupled with slightly enhanced use of the lower back "arc", can make him truly lethal against the spin during those circumstances. I'm optimistic that he, in due time, may become our own Shiv Chanderpaul. Malinga Bandara, and even Muralitharan may have the toughest time getting him out if he's selected for the test side as he should be.

what a cricketing brain you've got!

i'm quite impressed with both you and beamer (but i've known him for a while now)

i hope you are right about mushy, hot damn almighty, i hope you're right...

Hatebreed

June 22, 2007, 11:20 PM

Undoubtedly the highlight of the match is Bashar's inning. It's nice to see him scoring again, slow but doesn't matter as long as they come. I also hope Mushfiq's innings is good enough to attain him a place in the test side. Bowlers did ok, not bad without Mashrafe and Rafique.

Trigger_Tiger

June 22, 2007, 11:22 PM

I am just happy to see Ash has a cool head on his shoulders with the captaincy so far :up:!!!!!

Kabir

June 23, 2007, 12:34 AM

Okay, now I know what I've been missing. Excellent discussion going on here. Excellent writeup by Sohel bhai, to start off with. Here's my two cents.

Both of these are unacceptable. While playing 104 overs is important, the runs are also to be kept in mind. And while scoring some runs is important, wickets are also to be kept in mind.

The reality is, we're in that phase of development for Test, where we need to start afresh. I am highly against playing old futile players like Pilot, who showed no determination to score any runs in his 8 runs year-long innings. I would rather go with young fresh blood in our Tests as well, even if it's at the expense of some quality work behind the stumps.

I agree with Beamer here. Technical flaws of JO and Mushy aren't the same. Their age make a huge difference. And that's why we need to realize that if we're not gaining anything in making some of our older players play, just for the sake of being out there for longer, we're better off leaving them.

shovon13

June 23, 2007, 04:09 AM

.....Ash has it back in him but needs to remember that thisis test cricket and he has all the time in the world to score.

i agree. but i dont think he ever had "it" before this time around - which started around the world cup. the team as a whole has grown a stronger sense of responsibility since the world cup.

Sohel

June 23, 2007, 04:22 AM

Quote- "It was a decent start. Not that everyone carried on to have a big score, but almost everyone got a start. At least the boys tried to stay out in the middle," Williams said of Bangladesh's batting efforts.

A good way to look at the positives from the match.

Thanks for the dig ammark. What happened to the other avatar?

Sohel

June 23, 2007, 04:25 AM

we need to bat like tests in tests (which is nowadays to moderate aggression with caution).

Perfectly put.

ammark

June 23, 2007, 05:17 AM

Thanks for the dig ammark. What happened to the other avatar?

I thought it was time for something more mature and sedate

Sohel

June 23, 2007, 05:26 AM

I thought it was time for something more mature and sedate

Don't you think the colors are bit Lanka-esque ? The yellow lens flare against the purpleish blue backdrop, and all ...

ammark

June 23, 2007, 05:28 AM

Don't you think the colors are bit Lanka-esque ? The yellow lens flare against the purpleish blue backdrop, and all ...Not particularly. But if art appreciation is in order, maybe we should move to FC.

Miraz

June 23, 2007, 05:29 AM

Okay, now I know what I've been missing. Excellent discussion going on here. Excellent writeup by Sohel bhai, to start off with. Here's my two cents.

Both of these are unacceptable. While playing 104 overs is important, the runs are also to be kept in mind. And while scoring some runs is important, wickets are also to be kept in mind.

3rd Test against India?? when and where??

Jokes aside, 2.35/over is pretty acceptable run rate in Test, especially for a team like Bangladesh. If we can stay in the middle for sufficient times (5 sessions in each innings, about 150 overs @ 2.35 makes 352 runs) that will take take the match to fifth day with possible result of draw or even a win.

The scoring rate is fine if we can stay in the wicket.

Sohel

June 23, 2007, 05:35 AM

Not particularly. But if art appreciation is in order, maybe we should move to FC.

Touché bro, back to the topic ... what was it?

Sohel

June 23, 2007, 06:19 AM

I mentioned in another thread how he seems to always do well batting with the tail. However, his technique, temperament, shot selection intelligence is too good for us to waste him at no.7. No.3 might be too much to ask for his young shoulders right now ( also consider the fact if we are batting second , no.3 might be too soon for him to come after keeping wkts in the 1st innings, unless he comes in as a specialist bat . With our brittle openers at work, he might have to come very soon to the crease ). I suggest he comes in at no. 5, or at least at no.6, so he can have some time playing himself in with another "batsman". That will be the ideal situation for him right now. ... That driving thing: Had a moment of Epiphany while coming to work.

I agree, especially provided the concrete possibility that our # 3 will continue to face shinier the balls that he's not supposed to, and remain a de-facto opener. God we need SN and Nafees Iqbal to get their forms back !

Both of these are unacceptable. While playing 104 overs is important, the runs are also to be kept in mind. And while scoring some runs is important, wickets are also to be kept in mind.
Bangladesh has been playing test matches in One-dayish style for quite some time now. Untill the BD-AUS & BD-SL series in 2006.. BD was considered just as a growing team. But now a lot more are expected from them. For that reason, BD's performance in the recent BD-IND test series really disappointed everyone including non-bangladeshis. And obviously BD batsmen's core-problem was their lack of temperemant of playing longer innings.

RR=2.5 does sound quite slow but hei.. 2.5@150 overs is 375 runs(if they manage to stay!). And I'm sure BD team is able to get to a RR@3 if they play confidently. But with their batting strength, if they try to go RR@3.5/4 it'll be hard for them to survive even 75+ overs. And 4@75 is just 300 runs. :)

Or.. say ... between 2.5@120=300 and 4@75=300.... I would rather take the slower one. Even if the ultimate runs scored remains the same... it kills lots of time in the middle bringing the game in favor of the team.

One World

June 23, 2007, 08:49 AM

And obviously BD batsmen's core-problem was their lack of temperemant of playing longer innings.

..........But with their batting strength, if they try to go RR@3.5/4 it'll be hard for them to survive even 75+ overs. And 4@75 is just 300 runs. :)

Or.. say ... between 2.5@120=300 and 4@75=300.... I would rather take the slower one. Even if the ultimate runs scored remains the same... it kills lots of time in the middle bringing the game in favor of the team.

Its definitely temperament, not strength. And why not prolong the frustration of the opponent, as I said slow and steady for longer version.

Kabir

June 23, 2007, 10:45 AM

3rd Tesr against India?? when and where??

Jokes aside, 2.35/over is pretty acceptable run rate in Test, especially for a team like Bangladesh. If we can stay in the middle for sufficient times (5 sessions in each innings, about 150 overs @ 2.35 makes 352 runs) that will take take the match to fifth day with possible result of draw or even a win.

The scoring rate is fine if we can stay in the wicket.

Thanks, corrected :)

I meant it's unacceptable in terms of current day Test cricket, where a bit more aggression is shown by the senior teams. But I think you couldn't get the gist of my mesage, coz in the end I said I would go with it if we get rid of our fragile senior players from the squad. The reason is, with the younger ones there, you would still have the possibility for them to learn a few things by staying out there for so long, and playing so slow.

However, having said all that, I must say that he players' determination to stay out in the middle, just for a change, is pretty good.

Nafis_BD

June 23, 2007, 08:35 PM

However, having said all that, I must say that he players' determination to stay out in the middle, just for a change, is pretty good.

Yeah I like how they want to stay and play!!!

Ahg984

June 23, 2007, 09:07 PM

Okay, now I know what I've been missing. Excellent discussion going on here. Excellent writeup by Sohel bhai, to start off with. Here's my two cents.

You are comparing Bangladesh's 1st innings against SL-A with its 2nd test, 2nd innings against IND where the runrate was distorted because of Ashraful's knock. In 1st innings of the same match, Bangladesh had a runrate of approximately 3.20, which I feel is appropriate for test cricket.